Family
by angelrider13
Summary: Building a new family is no easy task. Especially when you have a dark past and your parent's murderer is running around. Set after the Winter War. Various pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is not just mine, well I'm writing it and it was my idea, so it's kinda mine...mmmm...never mind. This story is also being worked on by my brother and sister, as the three OCs in this fic are based off of our personalities. Well, parts of our personalities. The point is, I'm not the only one working on the story.**

**Hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. But I so wish I did.**

Akino took a deep breath as she looked up at the sky from the courtyard in the first division barracks. She appeared about seventeen, but was in reality much older. She had short jet black hair streaked with silver that reached her chin and violet-crimson eyes. She wore the traditional shinigami uniform but had a purple sash tied tightly around her waist that bled into a deep, bright crimson as you reached the ends. A sleeveless, white captain's haori with the number nine on the back was worn over the uniform. The captain's meeting had just let out, and it had been her first. The Head-Captain had formally introduced her as the Captain of the Ninth Squad. Being in the presence of all of the captains at the same time had been somewhat intimidating.

"Aki-chan!"

Akino turned to see Kyōraku Shunsui, Captain of the Eighth, and Ukitake Jūshirō, Captain of the thirteenth. Kyōraku tipped his hat up, a carefree grin on his face. "Ah, excuse me." He said. "It's Captain Nakata now isn't it?"

Akino rolled her eyes. "Like you would actually call me by title anyway."

Kyōraku chuckled and nodded. "True, true."

"So what is it you two wanted with me? Or did you just come to say hello?" Akino asked, eyebrow raised. Ukitake chuckled, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Captain Ukitake!" Akino whined, swiping his hand away and trying to fix her hair, a childish pout on her lips.

"Awww," Kyōraku cooed, "You look so cute when you pout, Aki-chan." Akino stuck her tongue out at him.

"Now, now Akino." Ukitake said. "We just wanted to congratulate you on your promotion. And to let you know that if you ever need anything, feel free to come to us."

Akino smiled at the two captains that were like fathers to her. "Thank you, Captain Ukitake, Captian Kyōraku."

=^.^=

Takashi strode down the hallway, a bored expression on his face, hands tucked in his pockets. He was dressed in the traditional blue shinigami academy uniform. He had short, spiky, silver hair and bangs that fell into his crimson eyes. His left ear was pierced, a small black hoop dangling from his earlobe and a black stud at the top. At first glance, he looked like a little boy (He's around the same age as Hitsugaya Tōshirō when he was in the Academy.).

"TAKAAAAAAAA!"

Takashi closed his eyes and sighed, not pausing in his step or turning around. He knew exactly who was coming up behind him. The sudden weight that collided with his back caused him to stumble forward slightly, but he quickly righted himself and kept walking as a pair of thin arms wrapped around his shoulders and a pair of legs clothed in red wrapped around his waist. He cast the older girl on his back a look, before turning away again.

She had long waist length, jet black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail on top of her head, the ends of her hair dyed a bright purple. Her eyes were a stormy gray with flashes of electric blue and she was dressed in the girl's academy uniform.

Takashi tucked his hands back into his pockets, unintentionally allowing his arms to support her weight.

"Taka! Guess what! Guess what!" The energetic girl squealed as she bounced up and down and shook his shoulders.

"Hmm?"

Unfazed by the lack of response, she continued. "They posted our graduating ranks! Let's go see!" she said, a big smile on her face.

"Aoi." The girl turned to him. "Why did you have to jump on me to tell me that?"

Aoi paused for moment before she smiled and ruffled his hair. "Cause I wanted a piggy-back ride, silly!" Takashi sighed. "Now let's go see our rankings! Onward, Taka!"

"Whatever." Takashi said, his tone indifferent, a bored expression still on his face, as he started walking toward the courtyard where the rankings were displayed. When the two reached the courtyard, Aoi jumped off his back and skipped over to the board that displayed the rankings.

"Oooooo! Look, Taka! You're ranked eleventh!" Aoi exclaimed, waving him over in a somewhat frantic manner, pointing at the board. Sure enough, when Takashi looked at the board, his name was there, "Nakata Takashi" written clearly and neatly in the eleventh space. He let his eyes wander over the board, seeing who was ranked what. When his eyes fell on the first slot, he read "Nakata Aoi".

"Look. You got first." He said, pointing to the board, not really sounding all that excited. Aoi turned and read the board. Her face broke out into a huge grin as she started jumping up and down and clapping. "Yay! I can't wait to tell Onee-chan! She'll be so proud of us! Don't you think, Taka? I'm so excited!" she exclaimed, waving her arms up and down.

"Can you believe it? She's the top in our class."

"What about the boy? He's pretty high up too."

Takashi glanced out of the corner of his eye to see a group of students huddled together on the other side of the courtyard.

"This is ridiculous. I mean, look at them! He's a kid, and she's…."

"An airhead. Tell me about it."

"I heard she already has a seated position in one of the squads."

"I feel bad for which ever squad gets stuck with her."

"Yeah. I know I'd go crazy. What about the boy though? He have anything?"

"No, not yet. But it probably won't amount to much. He doesn't really care about anything. With that kind of attitude, I doubt he can even get into one of the squads."

"True enough. Have you-"

The person speaking cut off. The group turned to see what he was looking at only to be met with Takashi's crimson gaze. His expression was blank, but his eyes were intense. The group gulped and ran out of the courtyard. Takashi let a small frown make its way to his lips. Stupid jerks. And they called him a kid. He was ten times more mature then them!

"Taka! Are you even listening to me?"

Takashi turned back to Aoi. "You were talking?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Silly! I told you that I'm going to walk you over to your division tomorrow." She said, a smile on her face.

"Whatever." Takashi said, letting his eyes linger on his sister's face. Her smile had not faltered, but he could tell it was no longer genuine. So she had heard after all. He was pulled from his thoughts when her hand grabbed his. She began dragging him out of the courtyard, squeezing his hand reassuringly. He squeezed back.

It didn't matter what those jerks said. They didn't need them. They had each other and they had their Onee-chan. They didn't need anyone else.

**So that's the end. Love it? Hate it? Let me know and hopefully it will be the former!**

**P.S. Since this fic is a multi-person project, it will probably be updated slower that usual...which is already really slow, so...you might want to review. We will need the motivation.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! Second chapter up! And it's on time! WOOT! Happy dance!**

**Ahem. No to more important things. So far no reviews :[ (sorry sis, yours don't count), but we do have a story alert! Thank you, Ayase Reincarnated! This one's for you! Enjoy! ^^**

**Disclaimer: Yeah...still own nothing...T.T**

**ONWARD!  
**

"Wow! Look at how huge that gate is, Taka! It must be a google* times taller than you!" Aoi exclaimed looking up at the gate to the Eleventh Division, her hand shielding her eyes. She and Takashi wore their new shinigami uniforms, though Aoi's sleeves were longer then normal, coming down past her fingers. Their belongings, including their zanpakutō, had already been moved to their respective barracks.

"You're exaggerating." Takashi said, coming to stand beside his sister, arms crossed over his chest, his usual bored expression on his face.

"Am not! You're just jealous that the gate is taller than you." Aoi stated matter-of-factly.

Takashi closed his eyes and sighed. "If you say so." He said as he strolled through the gate, not bothering to cast Aoi a second glance.

"Hey, wait for me!" Aoi squealed as she dashed after her brother.

=^.^=

Akino groaned as she slammed her head down on her desk, causing her lieutenant to give her a concerned look.

"Um, Captian? Are you okay?" he asked.

"No, Shūhei, I am not." Akino replied, her voice slightly muffled by her desk. "Becoming a captain has not made me love paper work; in fact it's made me hate it even more!"

Shūhei chuckled at his captain. They were pretty familiar with each other, as they had been in the same class back in the Academy. Shūhei's presence was making Akino's transition to captain much easier for her and for the rest of the squad.

Akino sat up and rested her head on her hand, pouting at her friend and subordinate. "Your sympathy is touching." She deadpanned.

Shūhei smirked. "Yeah, well I've been doing this a lot longer than you have, Akino. So you're going to have to earn your sympathy."

"Lucky me." Akino said, rolling her eyes. "Hey do you know what time it is?"

"It's about noon. Why?" Shūhei asked.

"Aw, crap. I'm running late. They're probably there by now." Akino mumbled more to herself than to Shūhei.

"Who?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"My brother and sister. They both graduated yesterday." She answered.

"So what's the big deal?"

Akino sighed, rubbing her temples as she stood. "My brother got into the Eleventh Squad."

"And you want to go check on him." Shūhei said, crossing his arms over his chest. Akino shot him a puppy-dog look. He sighed. "Fine. You can go. I'll finish the rest of the paper work."

Akino glomped him. "Thank you, Shūhei! You're the best lieutenant I've ever had!"

"I'm the only lieutenant you've ever had." He deadpanned.

"True. But you're also the best friend I've ever had." She said.

"I guess I can live with that."

Akino punched him lightly in the arm before dashing out the door. "I'll be back soon!" she called.

Shūhei sighed, shaking his head as he sat down at his desk, frowning at the amount of paper work on it. Even if she was his best friend, he couldn't believe he agreed to this.

=^.^=

"This place is HUGE! There must be loads of people in this squad! I wonder if all the squad barracks are this big. What do you think, Taka?"

Takashi glanced at Aoi as they made their way to the center of the barracks. The squad eleven member that had agreed, reluctantly, to guide them kept shooting her strange looks. "Is she always like this?" he whispered to Takashi. He sighed. "Unfortunately."

"Hey! I heard that, Taka! That's not very nice!" Aoi whined, flailing her arms around like a child.

Takashi shrugged, putting his arms behind his head. "No one ever said I was." Aoi then proceeded to cry, tears, fake of course, streaming down her cheeks. "You're just a big bully! I'm telling Onee-chan!"

"Whatever."

"You're no fun!"

This continued until they reached a large building. The man guiding them left them at the entrance saying that most of the squad members spent their time here, sparring with each other and training, before walking off. The two siblings stood in front of the entrance, staring at it.

"Soooooo…." Aoi said.

"Hmm?" was Takashi's simple reply.

Aoi was about to say something but stopped when she heard a loud crash followed by maniacal laughter. "Ummm….okay…" she said, slightly confused. "We goin' in?" she asked.

"Yep."

"We gonna have to fight someone?"

"Probably."

"Pretty high chance one of us will end up at the Squad Four barracks?"

Takashi nodded. "Yep."

Aoi smiled her usual, bubbly smile. But this time there was something sinister about it. If Takashi actually cared, he would have been terrified. Aoi entered the building. "Perfect." She said as Takashi followed her.

"If I didn't know you, I would be extremely worried right now." Takashi said.

"Awww!" Aoi said as she latched onto her brother, "That's soooooo sweet! You care!"

Takashi remained silent as he walked down the hall. When they reached the room where all the noise was coming from, Aoi hopped off Takashi's back and pushed the door open, not bothering to be discreet in any way, shape, or form. Everyone in the room turned toward them. Now to anyone else, having the entire eleventh squad glare at you would be pretty intimidating. But Aoi and Takashi were…different.

"Wow, Taka! Look at all the people! I told you there would be a lot of people! But you didn't believe me! But I was right!" Aoi gasped dramatically, as if she just realized something important. She pointed at Takashi. "That means you were wrong, Taka! I was right and you were wrong! I was right and you were wrong! I was right and you were wrong!" Takashi sighed as Aoi continued to prance around him, chanting.

"Oi! Who the hell are you?"

Aoi stopped as both she and Takashi turned to the man that had addressed them. He was a tall man, dressed in the usual shinigami uniform. He was bald and had red markings next to his eyes. He had a wooden sword slung over his shoulder and looked pretty pissed.

Aoi stared blankly and pointed at him. "Look, Taka." A huge smile broke out on her face. "He's bald!"

The man, if possible, looked even more pissed. "WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' BALD!"

"I think you made him upset." Takashi said indifferently, his bored expression still in place.

Aoi put a finger to her lips and cocked her head to the side, her expression radiating pure innocence. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Now, now Ikkaku." Another man came up behind Ikkaku and placed a hand on his shoulder. He had black hair that came to his chin and feathers around his right eye. "Let's find out what they are here for before you beat them up."

"Yumichika." Ikkaku's shoulders slumped. "Fine."

The two men turned back to the siblings, only to find Aoi pointing at Yumichika. Takashi sighed. "What is it this time?"

Aoi smiled. "He's pretty!"

Yumichika squealed and glomped the girl. "What a beautiful thing to say! Such a cute, sweet girl you are!"

"Really?" Aoi asked, now excited. "You think I'm cute?"

Yumichika nodded. "Absolutely! Much, much cuter than all these disgusting men."

This time, Aoi glomped him. "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me! Taka, I love your squad!"

Everyone in the room stared at her. Was she crazy? She loved the eleventh squad? The most brutal, scariest, toughest squad of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads? Something had to be wrong with her.

Ikkaku turned to Takashi. "So you're in our squad?"

Takashi looked at him, hands behind his head, his weight balanced on one leg. "Yep."

Several of the other squad members heard this. "No way! They put a kid in our squad? What the hell are they thinking?"

"HEY!"

Everyone turned to Aoi, surprised that such a yell could come out of her small body. "Taka is way stronger than all of you so don't pick on him! He may be short, but he could kick all your asses without breaking a sweat!"

There was a moment of silence as everyone absorbed what she said.

Ikkaku crossed his arms over his chest. "What's your name, kid?"

Aoi went back to smiling. "My name's Aoi. And this is my brother, Takashi. But I call him Taka 'cause it sounds cuter."

"And you think he could beat everyone in this room?" Ikkaku asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yep!" Aoi exclaimed, a huge smile on her face. Yumichika immediately glomped her. "Aoi-chan is just too cute!"

Aoi giggled. "Well since Yumi is pretty, Aoi will be cute!"

Ikkaku and the rest of the squad just stared as Yumichika began to gush over the girl. Ikkaku shook his head and turned to Takashi. "So, kid. How 'bout a challenge?"

Takashi, who by now was lying on the floor trying to take a nap, lazily opened one eye. "What kinda challenge?"

"Well we need to see if what Aoi says is true. You can't just say that kinda thing here and not back it up."

Takashi closed his eye again. "You want me to fight everyone? Thanks, but no thanks. Would take to much effort."

Ikkaku frowned. "You sayin' it would be too hard?"

"Nope. I'm just saying that it would be too much effort."

Aoi giggled. "Sorry, Ku! Taka is pretty lazy! Guess I forgot to mention that."

Ikkaku glared at her. "Who the hell is Ku?"

Aoi pointed at him. "You, silly!"

Ikakku's eye twitched. "Now listen here you little-"

"Oh. Aoi likes to give a nickname to everyone she meets. And she'll call you it whether you like it or not. Now, what were you going to call my sister?" Takashi's crimson eyes bore into Ikkaku, who almost took a step back. Almost.

"I didn't call her anything." Ikkaku said.

"Good."

"You tryin' to pick a fight, kid?" Ikkaku growled.

Takashi shrugged. "Not really, seeing as you already challenged me to one."

"Are you gonna do it, Taka?" Aoi asked, kneeling next to her brother.

"I guess. Don't want them to think you're a liar, do you?" Takashi asked.

"I'm not a liar!" Aoi exclaimed, waving her arms up and down.

Takashi sighed and stood up, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Then I guess I have to fight everyone." He turned to Ikkaku. "Let's get this over with."

Takashi stood in the center of the room, a wooden sword in his hand, his other hand in his pocket, the other squad eleven members surrounding him. Aoi, Yumichika, and Ikkaku sat off to the side, out of the way.

Aoi turned to Ikkaku. "How come you're not fighting, Ku?"

Ikkaku grimaced at the nickname. "This kinda thing isn't my style. I prefer one-on-one fights." He turned back to the crowd of people. "Now, begin!"

The squad eleven members charged Takashi, who merely raised his sword to block all of their attacks. Aoi started cheering. "Yay, Taka! You can do it!"

Takashi glanced at her. "I was kinda hoping that they would be better than the guys at the Academy." He said, his expression one of complete and utter boredom.

"Maybe you'll find a better challenge as you move up in rank!" Aoi called back.

Takashi sighed. "That sounds like too much work." Aoi giggled.

Yumichika and Ikkaku stared at the scene before them. This kid was wiping the floor with everyone. And he wasn't even paying attention!

Yumichika turned to Aoi. "Well you certainly don't look surprised."

"Nope! I told you! Taka won't even break a sweat!" Aoi exclaimed, a grin on her face.

/5 minutes later/

Takashi stood in the center of the floor, the bruised and battered bodies of the eleventh squad members surrounding him. He hefted his wooden sword up so that it rested on his shoulder, his stance relaxed, his other hand still in his pocket.

"Well that was boring." He said.

"That kid…he didn't even move. He just used his arm and he took down everyone." Yumichika said.

Ikkaku frowned. "That's it! Everyone is tripling their training!"

Aoi smiled and stared clapping. "Yay, Taka! I knew you could do it! This squad is perfect for you! You can fight whenever you want! Hey that's right! You were ranked eleven in our class! Maybe that's why you got into the eleventh squad! What do you think, Taka?"

Ikkaku turned to Takashi. "You were ranked eleventh in you class?"

Takashi shrugged. "So?"

"Why didn't you mention it?" Ikkaku asked.

"You never asked." Was his reply.

At that moment the door slammed open. The man that stepped in was huge. He had spiky, brown hair with bells at the end. An eye patch covered his right eye, while a long scar traced down the left. He wore a white haori with the number eleven on the back and had a zanpakutō strapped to his waist. He did a quick survey of the room before turning his gaze to the only four conscious ones in it.

"What the hell happened in here?"

**Dun dun dunnnnnnn...not really, but I can pretend it's dramatic! Betcha have no idea who just walked in do ya? You'll never guess! Not in a million years! (Note the sarcasm, people, note it!)**

**Almost forgot: * for those who don't know, a google is 10 to the 10th power or a 1 followed by 100 zeros.  
**

**So yeah. That's the next chapter. Still don't know what anyone thinks...all you have to do is push the button! Please? I'll give you a cookie!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! So the third chapter is finally up! For some reason, fanfiction wouldn't load it...but obviously that has been fixed! So Enjoy!**

"What the hell happened in here?"

Ikkaku gave the man that just walked in a shaky smile. "Captain Zaraki."

Kenpachi surveyed the room again, noticing the two siblings for the first time. "Who the hell are you two?" he asked.

Suddenly, Aoi was in front of the huge Captain. "My name's Aoi! What's yours? You're really big. Did you know that? I wish I was as tall as you. Everyone thinks I'm short; but I'm still taller than Taka!" Aoi smiled up at Kenpachi, much to his confusion. Takashi sighed in the background, while Ikkaku and Yumichika just stared at her. She continued as if she didn't notice. "Hey! You have a captain's haori! That means you're a captain! And if you're here, that means you're Taka's captain! Hey Taka, he's your captain!" Aoi shouted over to her brother while pointing at Kenpachi. "Oh, wait. You're a captain. That means I have to treat you with respect. Onee-chan said to show respect to all captain and lieutenants. Right, Taka?"

Takashi rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah." He said, with a long, drawn out breath. "What a pain in the ass."

Aoi gasped. "I'm telling Onee-chan you said that!"

"Whatever."

Aoi pouted. She saw Ikkaku and Yumichika out of the corner of her eye and turned to them. "Why are Ku and Yumi making funny faces? Did I say something wrong?" Aoi cocked her head to the side cutely. Yumichika proceeded to glomp her while Ikkaku shouted, "DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Kenpachi just blinked. "What the hell?"

"Hey, Ken-chan, she talks a lot! She smiles a lot too!" a small, bubbly voice came from Kenpachi's shoulder. Aoi and Taka turned back to the Captain to see a small bubble-gum pink haired girl sitting on his shoulder. Aoi bounded over to her.

"Wow! Your hair is a really pretty color!" She said. "Can you see a lot from up there? I bet you could; Mr. Captain-man is pretty tall. Oh! I forgot! My name is Aoi, what's yours?"

The girl gave her a big smile before saying, "My name's Yachiru! I'm Ken-chan's lieutenant!"

You're a lieutenant? That's amazing!" Aoi exclaimed waving her arms up and down. "Do you think I could be a lieutenant?"

"Yeah! Then we could be lieutenants together!" Yachiru smiled. "You have a really pretty smile, Bubbles!

"Bubbles?"

"That's you!"

Aoi's face lit up and she tackled the small girl off of Kenpachi's shoulder in a hug. "No one's ever given me a nickname before! I love it!" Yachiru laughed and soon the two girls were sitting together talking about completely random things; mostly Yachiru telling Aoi stories about all of the division members, which she listened to with attention.

Kenpachi stared at the two before turning to his two subordinates. "What the hell is going on?" Ikkaku sighed and told his Captain everything that had happened since the two siblings had arrived. When he finished, Kenpachi turned to Takashi, who was just standing there, arms crossed over his chest, that same bored expression on his face. "So, you're the one who beat the shit outta everyone."

"Yep. Not much of a challenge for the squad that's supposed to be the toughest." Takashi said tonelessly.

Kenpachi smirked. "I think I might like you, kid. Let's see if you're as good as you think you are." Takashi raised an eyebrow at his new captain.

"Are you gonna fight Taka, Ken-chan?" Yachiru had climbed back up onto Kenpachi's shoulder, he smirked.

Takashi sighed. "What a pain."

Kenpachi crossed his arms. "What's the matter, kid? Scared?"

"Hey, Taka!" Aoi shouted from behind him before he could say anything. The small boy turned to look up at her. She pulled something out from behind her back. His zanpakutō. "If you're gonna fight Mr. Captain-man, you might need this!"

Takashi took his zanpakutō from her, raising an eyebrow. "Where did you get this?"

"The guy who brought us here showed us your room, didn't he?" Aoi said, an innocent smile on her face, "I just snuck in when no one was looking and grabbed it."

Takashi sighed, hefting the sheathed blade over his shoulder. "Why?"

"Cause this is Squad Eleven, duh! You were gonna have to fight someone sooner or later and I wanted to make sure my little brother was prepared. I had your best interests in mind, I promise!"

Yumichika leaned over to Ikkaku. "Giving him tools to fight the Captain of Squad Eleven is in his best interests?" he whispered. Ikkaku shrugged.

Takashi just looked at Aoi with a blank stare. She shrunk back with a sudden shriek and hid behind Kenpachi. "Taka's mad at me! Save me!"

"He doesn't look mad to me." Ikkaku said.

"Ku has a lot to learn about Taka!" Aoi said as she peaked around Kenpachi. The tall captain didn't say anything, but sent her a strange look. "You should learn to read him! Cause you might piss him off and not know it and then things could get ugly."

"Aoi."

She flinched and hid herself behind Kenpachi a little more. "Yes, Taka?"

"Shut up."

Aoi pouted and bowed her head. At that moment, the door slammed open, causing the room's occupants to turn and see Akino standing in the doorway.

"Nakata." Kenpachi said. "What do you want?"

Before the Ninth Division Captain could answer, Aoi squealed and tackled her to the ground. Takashi sighed and rolled his eyes. "Onee-chan!," squealed the bubbly girl, "I've missed you so much! Did you hear, did you hear? Me an' Taka did awesome!"

"Yes, I'm very proud of you," came Akino's muffled voice, "Now get off!"

Aoi did so, wide smile on her face. Takashi walked over to the pair and stared up at Akino. "What are you doing here, Onee-chan?" he asked, his usual bored tone holding some curiosity. Akino sighed and lightly bumped her fists against her sibling's foreheads. "To make sure you two munchkins don't cause any trouble." She answered. She looked around the dojo. "Though it appears I've arrived a bit late."

Ikkaku gaped at them. "Captain Nakata is your sister?"

Aoi smiled. "Yup!"

Akino sighed and rubbed her temples. She then turned to Takashi, narrowing her eyes at the sight of his sword. "Why do you have your zanpakutō?" she questioned suspiciously.

Takashi started to answer. "Aoi snuck into my room and-"

"Taka's gonna fight Mr. Captain-man!" Aoi exclaimed excitedly.

"It's gonna be so much fun, Aki-chan!" Yachiru said from atop Aoi's shoulder. "Taka-chan already fought everyone, so Ken-chan is excited."

Akino stared at the pair for a moment with an expression that clearly said, '_There is something wrong with you_,' before turning to her little brother. "Well Takashi, what do you want to do?"

Takashi was silent for a moment, eyes closed as he thought about his choices. After a minute he shrugged. "Might as well," he said, causing Kenpachi to smirk, "It's not like I have anything to lose." Aoi and Yachiru cheered, while Yumichika and Ikkaku looked on, confusion and interest shown in their expressions.

"Sure. Nothing to lose; I mean, it's only your life, nothing serious," Akino said, rolling her eyes.

"Glad you agree." Takashi said tonelessly.

"Finally, some action." Kenpachi said. "There hasn't been anyone around to fight since that Winter War."

"Yay! Fight time!" Aoi cheered.

Takashi turned to her. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?"

Aoi cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean, Taka? I was supposed to take you to your squad."

"And why are to still here?" Akino asked, giving her sister a look. "What happened to your squad?" Aoi's eyes widened and she gasped. Akino rolled her eyes. "And you're a seated officer. Go to your squad."

"But Onee-chan…"

"Move it, Goldfish.* (memory span of three seconds)" Taka said, giving her a light kick in the calf.

Aoi pouted. "I am not a goldfish!"

"Yes, you are." Akino and Takashi said in unison.

Aoi crossed her arms stubbornly. "Am not! And I wanna see Taka fight Mr. Captain-man."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"…Please?"

"Let me think…no."

"Enough talk!" Kenpachi snapped, interrupting the sisters' quarrel. "Go run your mouths somewhere else."

Aoi sighed in defeat. "Fine. Taka, don't die." Takashi rolled his eyes. "And Mr. Captain-man, don't kill him. But don't underestimate him, 'cause he might kill you."

Kenpachi smirked. "Really? Well, this should be interesting."

"Yup." Aoi said, popping the 'p' at the end. "Well, I have to go now. Tootles." With that, Aoi turned heel and walked out the door with a wave.

"Bye, Bubbles!" Yachiru called after her new friend.

Kenpachi smirked as he turned to Takashi. "Now where were we?"

"About to beat each other to a bloody pulp." Takashi deadpanned.

"Hold up boys."

"What now, woman?" Kenpachi growled.

"Ground rules." Akino stated matter-of-factly. "No reiatsu, sword skills only, we don't need the two of you blowing up the Eleventh Division. And no releasing of zanpakutō." She said with a pointed look at Takashi, who merely looked back with an innocent expression that said, '_Who me?_'

Kenpachi waved her away. "Fine, fine." He turned to Taka. "Alright, kid. Let's go."

Akino walked to the side of the room to sit next to Ikkaku and Yumichika. Yachiru followed and seated herself in Akino's lap. "Takashi." Akino said, knowing her brother was listening. "Don't die. If you do, I'm coming after you, and you'll _wish _you were in hell." Her eyes narrowed and flashed dangerously, making Ikkaku, who was right next to her, inch away slightly.

Takashi merely smirked, his bored expression leaving his face. "Yes, Onee-chan." He said with mock obedience. He drew his sword and faced Kenpachi.

=^.^=

Aoi stood outside the entrance to the Thirteenth Division, staring at it in serious contemplation. After a moment she smiled and nodded. "Yup. This gate is definitely a google taller than Taka, too." She said, clapping. "Just wait till I tell him! I wonder if all the gates are a google taller than Taka….mmmm…well he is pretty short…sooooo….they must be!"

Satisfied with her conclusion, she skipped through the gate, not even aware of the guards standing right there giving her weird looks.

She wandered aimlessly through the courtyards, exploring. No one really paid her any mind. Suddenly, she heard shouting from around the corner. As she walked toward the sound, she saw two people, a man and a woman, arguing over something. Aoi couldn't quite make out what they were saying but she found their quarrel amusing, so she decided to plop herself down on the ground and watch.

After several minutes, the two finally seemed to notice her.

"Who the heck are you?" asked the female.

The male hit her over the back of the head. "Mind your manners!"

She turned to him, fists up. "Oh, I'll show you manners!"

Aoi just started giggling, pulling the pair's attention back to her. "You guys are so funny!" Suddenly she stooped, as if she remembered something. "Oh, hey do you guys know where I can find the Captain? I'm supposed to find him before I start doing work."

The other two looked at each other, then back at her. "Are you part of Division Thirteen?" they asked in unison.

Aoi jumped up, saluting them. "Yup! Nakata Aoi reporting for duty!"

The woman smiled. "I'm the third seat, Kotetsu Kiyone."

"And I'm the third seat, Kotsubaki Sentarō." The man said.

Aoi cocked her head to the side. "You guys are both the third seat?"

"Yes."

"No!"

"Well, I'm the better one!"

"No, I am!"

"Me!"

Aoi sat back and smiled. She was going to enjoy this.

=^.^=

Yumichika and Ikkaku gapped at the scene before them. Kenpachi Zaraki was _bleeding_. He was freaking _**BLEEDING**_. Since when the hell can he do that?

He had given his opponent a chance to strike, just like always. And this…kid had managed to cut the Eleventh Division Captain from shoulder to hip, leaving a long, thin gash across his chest.

Kenpachi was staring blankly at the wound while Takashi stood across from him looking bored as ever. Suddenly, Kenpachi smirked and threw his head back, cackling like a mad man. Akino sighed and hung her head, she was surrounded by lunatics.

"Not bad, kid. Not bad at all." Kenpachi said.

"Thanks." Was the indifferent reply.

Kenpachi's smirk widened. "My turn now, kid."

"Whatever."

Akino shook her head. This was not going to end well.

=^.^=

"It's nice to meet you, Captain Ukitake!"

Captain Ukitake blinked at the happy girl in front of him. After getting over his initial shock, he smiled. "And you as well, Miss…?"

"Oh!" Aoi exclaimed, "I'm your new seventh seat, Nakata Aoi!" she said, pointing at her face, flashing him a blinding smile.

"Oh," Ukitake said, "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Nakata-san. Have you seen your sister yet?"

Aoi's eyes widened. "You know Onee-chan?"

"Of course," Ukitake smiled, "we are both Captains after all."

"Oh yeah! That makes since." Aoi smiled. "And you don't have to call me Nakata-san, you can call me Aoi if you want to."

"Very well, Aoi-chan. Have you met Kiyone and Sentarō yet?"

"Yeah! They're funny! They argue a lot, but they're nice!" Aoi said, her smile never leaving her face. Ukitake returned it. "I'm glad you like them. I hope you settle in all right, we'll be counting on you."

Aoi saluted. "Sir, yes, sir!"

=^.^=

Akino crossed her arms as she looked down at Takashi. He was lying on the floor staring right back up at her, his face completely blank. "You just _had_ to pick a fight your first day, didn't you?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Technically," Takashi said, "Aoi picked the fight."

Akino face-palmed. Takashi's fight with Kenpachi had ended and, while he had managed to land a number of solid hits, Takashi lost. Though before he had left with his officers, Kenpachi had told Takashi that he was now his fourth seat. However, Akino was more concerned with the fact that he was currently lying on the floor with a giant X slashed across his chest.

"Are you not even registering that you have been cut open?" Akino asked.

Takashi looked at her, then down at his chest. "Well would you look at that," he said, his monotone accented by mock surprise.

Akino narrowed her eyes. "Alright, you little smart-ass." She bent down and scooped him up, throwing him over her shoulder.

"You could be a little more gentle, you know," Takashi said, "Me being injured and all."

"Shut up, Taka. I can't believe I have to haul your ass over to the Fourth Division on your FIRST day!"

"Hey, I lived didn't I?"

"That's not the point!"

"But you said if I died you would make me wish I was in hell."

"That's not-"

"So you're saying you wish I was dead?" Takashi's voice suddenly became thick, like he was about to start crying.

"No, of course not!" Akino said quickly, "I just meant that-"

"For a captain, you're really gullible." Takashi said in his usual monotone.

"You little…" Akino jammed her shoulder into the center of Takashi's wound, earning herself a satisfying yelp.

"I should report you," Takashi grumbled.

"You love me," Akino said.

"Just keep telling yourself that."

Sometimes, she wished her brother wasn't such a smart-ass.

**And that concludes the third chapter! Give me some feedback!**


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